Quote Originally Posted by Bob's World View Post
AQ uses an extreme Islamist ideology to gain influence with their target populaces of disenfranchised Sunni Muslims to promote revolution to address poor governance in their respective states
Again I think you're duistorting AQ to fit it into your own governance-centric model, rather than adjusting the model to fit what's actually worked for AQ. AQ has generally failed pretty miserably in their efforts to "promote revolution to address poor governance"... not because people are happy with the governance they get, but because very few seem to believe that AQ has anything better to offer. Where AQ and its precursors have succeeded is in firing up and exploiting anger at foreign military intervention in Muslim lands. AQ has tried to exploit a number of different narratives, but the only one that's ever drawn support beyond a very small circle is "expel the infidel from the land of the faithful".

I also think the impact of information technology on AQ's organizing is very much overrated, and I've yet to see any credibly supported argument to suggest that it's a major factor. Worth noting that AQ has had the most success in entrenching itself in environments such as pre-2001 Afghanistan, Yemen,m and Somalia, where neither information technology nor domestic governance exist to any significant degree. I suspect that direct contact through the madrassa network and other physical networks is a more potent (if less fashionable) force than social media. Not saying that these networks don't use social media as they would use any tool available, but I don't see it as a key enabler at all.